


The Quiet is Deadly but Silence Kills

by iMayBeObsessed



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Falling In Love, Heartbreak, Love, Love Confessions, Other, Possible Character Death, Season/Series 10
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2020-11-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:15:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 4,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27694712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iMayBeObsessed/pseuds/iMayBeObsessed
Summary: People mistake someone who is quiet for someone who has nothing to say.Really, they are just waiting for the right moment.A moment that might kill.
Kudos: 11





	1. The First Time I Saw You

**Author's Note:**

> these chapters are intentionally short, this isn't meant to be a long book like my others. its based on dialogue for the most part xx

"I remember the first time I saw you.

You stood with your mother as your father spoke in front of a crowd of people. But you were quiet. 

Everyone said you were quiet. That's just how you were. They said it was due to nerves or because you were uncomfortable in front of crowds. I disagreed. You looked so perfect up there; an image of poise, grace and beauty. You didn't seem nervous, you didn't seem upset or aggravated. You seemed to be... observing. Watching as people admired you and your parents with an expression that I took to be interest. It wasn't interest, I know that now.

When I first saw you, I didn't know a lot about you. But I did know that if you wanted to speak, you could- would.

Maybe you had nothing to say.

Maybe you had too much to say.

Maybe you were waiting for the right time.

And that is what drew me to you. Not the makeup you wore, not your beauty- although it was evident, not the fancy clothing or the riches. There was something deeper underneath. Something that intrigued me. Something that pulled me to you.

I was drawn to you like metal to a magnet.

That's exactly what you wanted, isn't it?

The others noticed right away. They assumed it to be a petty celebrity crush, despite being considered a 'celebrity' myself. They thought their baby brother was growing up.

In a way, they were not wrong. I did grow up. More so, I outgrew.

I outgrew trust.

I outgrew forgiveness.

I outgrew second chances.

Yet, here I am."


	2. The First Time You Spoke

"The first time I heard you speak, that is when I really started to fall for you.

Your voice was perfect. You were perfect. Or at least, that's how you seemed.

Your voice was strong. You spoke with a voice full of passion and meaning. But it was also a voice of strength and confidence. Every word you said had thought behind it. Every word was calculated, thought out, prepared. I believed it was because you cared. You spoke to each of us in a way that made us feel special. I believed that is was because you thought we were special.

I believed wrong.

Then you spoke to me and I swear, I couldn't stay poised. The closer this metal got to its magnet, the harder the force was. There was something about you.

From up closer now, you were more perfect than ever. I was able to see your expressions, analyse them, admire them. I was able to latch onto every word you said to me, give it more meaning than you intended. I was able to fool myself into a fantasy.

A fantasy that led us here.

You told us- me, about your parents. You told me about your life. You told me things that made me feel like I wasn't alone. You reminded me of myself.

Your story was like mine. We each had 'tragic' first chapters. Chapters that we wanted to erase but couldn't. We used those first chapters to make something of ourselves. Something better. Something good.

But I was wrong. No, I was blinded.

No two stories are the same. No two stories have the same ending. I managed to convince myself that maybe, just maybe, these two stories would. But in the end, the protagonists of those stories had very different goals. And very different final chapters.

All they had in common was the absence of a happily ever after."


	3. The First Time I Met You

"Technically our first meeting was when you spoke to the team. But I didn't count it. I used to think that the first time I met you was when you revealed the 'real you'. Now, I count our first meeting as much later on in our stories.

At first, I thought you had been kidnapped, that it was up to me to play the hero again. In the end, you were the one who had to save me. Do you remember that?

But I underestimated you. In more ways than I can bother to stand here and list. That was my biggest mistake; underestimating you. Both then and now.

That night, I met the person I really liked. The person I would love. You showed me a different side to yourself. No, you showed me a different layer of yourself.

I have come to learn that people are comprised of layers. Some have more than others. The outer layer? Usually a lie, a facade, not real. I found that most people reveal their true selves two or three layers down. Like a mask, you take off the mask to reveal the person behind.

But not you.

You had more layers than I care to count.

Every time you would peel back a layer and reveal and entirely new person, I would fool myself into thinking that I was finally seeing the true you. That I understood how this game of layers worked and that this was the last one. I'd reached the final level. But I couldn't understand a game built on lies, with twisted rules and dictated by a gamemaster I wasn't even aware of. I played your game and followed your rules until it was too late. Until game over.

But at that point in time, I was far from understanding the corruption of the game I had just entered. I had only seen three layers at that point.

Your first layer was the quiet, poised person who observed with interest. Your second layer was someone who cared and spoke with confidence and pride. Your third layer was the one who would sneak out at night, who knew how to scale buildings. The one who made me feel special. The one who I underestimated. 

The one who I was stupid enough to think was the real you.

Sometimes I wish that you just stayed on that layer, I liked that layer. I identified with that layer. She understood me. She didn't judge me for not loving every aspect of my duty to this city because she got it. She didn't love her role to the city either. Each job comes with negatives others always overlooked. But not her.

I believed that this layer cared about other people, that this layer cared about me, not my label, that this layer understood.

How wrong I was."


	4. Blinded

"The morning after our outing, the team tried to convince me that we were on a date. They were so proud of their little brother, finally growing up. I had considered it, were we on a date? To be honest, I had hoped it was a date but I was worried that you didn't feel the same way. What if I had fallen for someone who didn't see me in the same light? 

Technically, I had.

I didn't want to get my hopes up, so I went to go talk to you. Maybe get an idea of what that night was.

I walked in on you and your parents talking and realised the reason you hated your role so much; you were trapped. I remember feeling terrible, I had the luxury of being myself, showing my true self and you didn't.

Then again, I'm not so sure who your true self is anymore. Do you even know?

So many layers.

Too many layers.

That's when I ran into Hutchins again. I never liked him, he made me uneasy. I always got this ominous feeling around him, like there was some underlying evil in him that would threaten you and your family. It was my duty to protect you after all and even though it was his too, there was something... not right about him. At least, that's what I felt.

Now, I've learnt that feelings aren't to be trusted. They are like a blindfold that only lets you see what you want. A blindfold you can't remove until it is too late.

I only wish I had realised I was wearing a blindfold. That I knew how to take it off before it broke me.

Sometimes I wonder; was there a blindfold that broke you too?"


	5. Damsel in Distress

"After the attack, you said you were alone again. I've always wondered, did you really mean that? Every time I look back on all the things you've said and done, desperately looking for the signs I chose to ignore and forget, that one sentence always felt more real. 

I hoped that maybe, you weren't as bad as you made out to be. That there was a chance it was just another of your layers. Even now, I hope for that. I know its stupid. Hope is stupid. But I will never let go of that wish... that you were a better person. That somewhere amongst your many layers, there was a good person.

I let you come with us. I played the hero exactly like you wanted me to, no, predicted me to. You said that I helped you because you were the 'damsel in distress'. That we were all so old fashioned, looking for a princess to rescue like a knight in shining armour. Though I hate to admit it, you were right about a lot of things. But you were wrong there.

I know how stupid the damsel in distress idea is. Skylor, Nya and PIXAL are all clear examples of that. Hell, they are all stronger than the rest of us. I didn't 'fall' for your act of the weak little girl who needed a saviour. The previous night you showed me you were more than capable of handling yourself. No. That wasn't the reason I helped you. I helped you because I thought I understood. I'm not exactly an orphan, but I was abandoned. I knew what it felt like to be alone. I didn't want you to feel alone anymore than you already did.

I tried so, so hard to make sure you didn't feel the same way I did. But in the end, it didn't matter. I couldn't change you, help you. No matter how hard I tried.

But that doesn't mean I don't blame myself for where we are now."


	6. Trust

"You know, if I had searched properly, I would have connected the signs. You were good, but I was wearing a blindfold, remember? And I kept the blindfold on, all for a layer. A fabrication, someone who wasn't real. You created her, I was stupid enough to fall for her. Let myself be blind for her.

But the more time I spent with you, or at least, that layer of you- the one I liked so much, I started to notice. Every mistake, every clue you left, put a small crack in your mask. I wish I could say that I didn't notice, but I did. I saw each slip up, I saw the signs.

I know why you had such a good shot. You could throw a dagger better than I could. You were as good as Kai with a katana. 

I know that it was you who warned Ultra Violet about Zane going undercover as Snake Jaguar.

I know that it was you who made sure that Zane and Mr. E would fight. Zane almost died because of you- because of me. Because I trusted you.

I didn't know all this at the time, but I could of. The information was there, I had it. It was at my fingertips and yet I brushed it away at the thought of someone caring for me, loving me. I chose the notion of feeling wanted as a person, not a saviour. But I look back now and hate myself more and more with every new realisation. Zane could have died, because of me. Your 'parents' might not have died because of me. You might not have-

I don't matter.

My choice got people killed. 

That's what matters.

And the more time I spent with you, the more the conflict inside me grew. The clues started becoming more obvious and I started to be more oblivious. For trust, for love. And what if I was overreacting? What if this was my one chance and I ruined it because I was paranoid? I really liked you and I thought that at some point, you would realise I wasn't the person everyone made me out to be. You would leave, knowing that I wasn't enough. But you didn't. For once, I thought someone loved me too.

But thoughts are deceiving.

You were deceiving. And that isn't anyone's fault but my own. The signs were there, I just chose to ignore them. I chose to trust you.

Stupid.

We both know that trust is dangerous. Yet, I trusted you.

That couldn't have been more foolish of me."


	7. Happily Ever After

"The greatest villain is the one you never knew was there in the first place.

I remember when everything finally made sense. When everything hurt. And it all came back to that one thing you had said earlier.

In a way, you were right. The greatest villain, at least, in my story, was one I was unaware of. Although, I'm not exactly sure that it was a fair fight.

Not that it matters.

You won. I think we've already established you never believed in 'fair'.

You always had a plan. I have never doubted that. From the moment you were adopted, you knew what you wanted. You knew who you had to break in order to get what you wanted. You knew how to break them.

And I just so happened to fall onto the list.

But I wasn't supposed to know who you were, uncover a new layer. Not yet. You had planned for that big reveal later on. I knew that the second I realised the truth. Nonetheless, that didn't stop you. Plans can be altered when you want something bad enough. No matter what that something is. You showed me that. You wanted others to feel pain.

Did it ever occur to you that I was already in pain? Or did you just not care?

I never expected it from you. To be honest, I'm not sure what I expected from you. From the beginning I felt something, something that grew as I got closer to you. But I never had any form of expectations. I learnt that a long time ago. If you don't expect something of someone, they can't disappoint you. You weren't an exception to that rule- well, not at first. Eventually I let my guard down, just enough for you to make a move. It was no one's fault but my own. All of this, is because of me. Even so, I never expected this.

I saw the signs, but I never thought someone could pretend so well. Like I said, I underestimated you. But you made on-too-many mistakes and even I couldn't put that aside. I had finally caught on.

When I did, I was stupid enough to be surprised. I was stupid enough to be hurt. I was stupid enough to think someone loved me.

I let myself think that the happily ever after I wanted was possible.

I was wrong.

The happily ever after comes to those who deserve it.

Not me."


	8. Fear

"When you first explained your identity it presented more questions than answers. But more than that, it filled me with an indescribable fear.

I've been scared a lot in my life. I try to pretend I'm not, but there are some scary things I've faced. Not villains, but concepts. Concepts like death and loss or not being able to save people. Letting someone down. Those concepts have always dominated my thoughts. Some might say that they are irrational fears, but I didn't save you. Look how we ended up.

You told me you planned to cause me pain, that you planned to bring back my dad to create said pain.

That was when I knew fear better than ever before.

I had already lost him. Three times. But now I had to see him turn back into the monster he never really was.

Even so, I was dumb enough to hope you were lying, trying to inspire fear within me in order to gain an advantage. Yet again, I underestimated you. That was made excruciatingly clear when it finally hit that you were no longer the layer I loved. You were something far more sinister. I should have known by then that you meant what you said. You always have. You had a goal, one that you planned for, worked for. A goal you said you would achieve. Me being scared wasn't your goal. My pain was your goal. My destruction was your goal.

You achieved your goal.

My fears just heightened the entertainment."


	9. Fabrications

"You've hurt me in more ways than I thought possible. Not only me, but hundreds of others. Even so, I never thought you deserved death. No one deserves it.

I'm not sure what lead you to your 'death', why you were there and not with my father. I like to think that there really was a final layer to you. One that wasn't as cruel as your many others. I let myself imagine you helping someone else, demonstrating the love that might have saved you by saving another. 

I know it isn't possible. I know it's a stupid, naive thought. But sometimes it's nice to think that we could all be something more, something better. Even those who have been dismissed as evil. 

When I saw you fall, the building collapse under you, it was as if time stood still for a split-second; when we made eye-contact one final time. Maybe that's why I humour myself with the idea of your final, non-existent layer. In that moment, I felt like I saw through all your layers. I'm sure I'm overanalysing something that wasn't there, but I am still looking for reasons to believe that you are better than you make out. That not all of you is corrupted and my mistakes haven't ruined all of you.

We both know that was merely a fantasy, fabricated in order to nurse a broken heart in way bandages couldn't fathom possible. Conceived to protect said heart through blinding it of the painful truth, one that would only further the damage inflicted upon it.

All the same, I didn't think you deserved to die."


	10. Plans

"I wasn't sure how I felt when I saw you die. Still, I wasn't prepared to find out you were alive.

You were a monster, one I underestimated constantly. You were also someone I feared greatly. I meant it when I said you didn't deserve to die. You dying really broke me more than it should have. However, your death brought a form of closure I was in desperate need of. It is selfish, I know, to use the loss of a human being as a gain for another. But, my mistakes had created the layers of the person you are, your desire to repay me for those mistakes got you killed. We were both to blame.

Or so I thought.

I should have known better. I should have realised that I was still wearing my blindfold. You always had a plan. More so, you always had the ability to use the way in which your plans were derailed to your advantage. You formulated new plans that would ensure you kept your promises. Like I said, I constantly underestimated you.

I can't help but ask, did you calculate for your 'death', or was it just another of your schemes- devised to break me further?

Either way, it hurt. More than I could imagine."


	11. Hope

"And after all that, I came back. If anything, you can call me stupidly persistent.

A ninja never quits... right?

I know I shouldn't have come. But I had to see it for myself, had to prove that you were still here, that you were still a threat. I couldn't seem to shake the thought that you might have turned good after your close shave with death. To be honest, I'm still not quite sure. Have you?

Doesn't matter. I'm here now.

We both know there is more to it than that. You've always told me I'm all heart and little brain. Try as I might to deny it, to prove you wrong, you're right.

You always are.

There is still a small part of me that has hope. It's a stupid part of me. A blind part of me. But it's there, asking the same questions. Did our time together really mean nothing to you? No more than a pawn set to be sacrificed in your game of chess? That part of me hopes that it wasn't just that. That I wasn't totally blinded. I wasn't totally lied to. That there is a part of you that loved me. Like I love you.

Is that impossible to think? Is that stupid to say? I'm not sure.

I'm not sure of anything anymore.

Maybe that's why I came, you could answer the many questions I have? I don't know. I could say that it was only for Ninjago, that I came to lock you up and eradicate the threat of you for good. But we both know that's a lie. I'm here because I am stupid enough to hope.

Hope that there is one final layer.

Hope that you love me.

Hope that you are more than the Quiet One. The one who ruined the Green Ninja.

The one who ruined me."


	12. Things Have to be this Way

Lloyd watches the girl who had caused him so much pain closely. One consisting of layers all created by his failures. He sighs. He knew this was his fault.

She wears a strange expression, one that he can't read- but it isn't as mean as her usual. Stupidly, hope wells up slightly inside his heart. Maybe there is a final layer? One that isn't as twisted, corrupted, evil as the others?

He is broken from thought when she starts to clap; a slow clap. "Might I say, that was a wonderful speech. So heartfelt. You should write a book. I'm sure there are hundreds of people who would eat that up." Her tone is cruel, but Lloyd can sense something underneath it.

"Are you different?" He finds himself asking.

The cruel gleam in her eyes dims significantly. "Maybe in another lifetime," she whispers, looking away.

Her tone scares him, he's almost too scared to question it. "Wh-what do you mean?"

She looks up with tears in her eyes. "Things could have been different, I could have been better. We all could have! But that's not how it works." Bitterness creeps it's way into her tone. "You did this to me!" She yells, pointing to the red makeup covering the top half of her face. The tears that trail along her cheeks leave little pathways of clear skin. "So no, I'm not different. I could have been. But I'm not. Because of you. Because the Green Ninja failed."

Lloyd is taken aback, he doesn't know how to take it in. Harumi is crying. She is vulnerable.

"It doesn't matter now, we are here," she continues, regaining the cruel expression and voice she maintained seconds before. "My parents are dead. The girl I used to be, is dead. I'm the Quiet One now." Harumi examines the dagger clamped in her hands, watching as light shifted along the silver blade with every small movement.

Lloyd was still very unsure of the situation. The girl's voice continued to jump from sad to angry to dangerous. But at the same time, something drew him in.

"You underestimated me. You underestimated my quiet. But I had a plan. No, I had a promise to keep. I made a promise to my parents that day. I promised that I would get my revenge. They didn't deserve this. No one deserved to suffer at the hand of your incapabilities. " She grips the dagger tighter. She knew what she had to do.

"I have suffered!" Lloyd exclaims but Harumi didn't seem to notice.

As if triggered by a switch, tears re-enter the girl's eyes as she takes a step closer to Lloyd. "I'm sorry but-" More tears trail down her cheeks as she holds back a sob. "I never wanted to be this way. I never wanted things to be like this." She looks up, there is nothing there besides the evening sky but Lloyd is certain she sees more than that. Eventually, she looks back at Lloyd and takes a step towards him. "What I want doesn't matter. This is how things are. Things have to be this way."

Panic stirs in the bottom of Lloyd stomach. "What do you mean? What is this way?"

"I don't break my promises," Harumi whispers with a shaking voice, tears continuing to flow down her red-coated face as she looks at Lloyd with eyes full of remorse.

Before Lloyd can process what that means, the white-haired girl lunges at him, burying her dagger into the left side of his chest. He hears a scream he doesn't remember escaping his mouth and drops to his knees as he takes in the never-ending pain. Tears fill his eyes. He wishes he could blame the pain for them.

"Things have to be this way," she repeats softly as she attempts to hold back another sob. "I made a promise." With a shaking hand, she reaches for the hilt of the dagger and pulls sharply. The blade leaves his chest and Lloyd screams again. Blood flows from the wound as she steps back, watching as his breaths grow fainter and fainter.

"Everyone said that I was quiet because I had nothing to say, or that I was nervous. But there is a difference between the quiet and silence. Quiet means that I can observe, wait. Quiet is deadly. But silence means that there is nothing. Silence is what kills. Silence means death."

"Rumi?" Lloyd whispers, staring up at her pained face with vision that grows darker with every struggle of a breath.

"I don't break my promises."

The darkness closes around Lloyd, he glances one final time at the crying, broken face of the girl he once loved before he is pulled into a warm hug he cannot fight.

"I'm sorry Lloyd."


End file.
